Almora

B&B Italia

2014

Chair

Description

Almora is a lounge chair conceived not only as a seat, but as a spatial experience – an object that shapes the environment around the body. In the studio’s discussions around its ongoing interest in the theme of “Object as Space”, Almora was described as embodying a duality: retreat and openness, enclosure and engagement. The chair’s layered, deconstructed cones create a sense of protection while keeping the sitter connected to their surroundings, much like an architectural fragment that frames shifting views.

Rather than functioning as a piece of furniture in isolation, Almora acts as a threshold between inner and outer worlds, between moments of quiet and moments of exchange. You can turn inward to read or rest, or outward to share space with others. The volumes overlap and float, concealing their construction and allowing the chair to be read from every side. Almora defines a small world of its own – a place for contemplation, conversation or gathering – extending the idea that objects can carry architectural intent and create atmospheres through form, gesture and material.

Credits
Barbican Photo: Filippo Bamberghi
 Product photos: B&B Italia
 Drawing: Nipa Doshi
Almora
THE CHAIR IS A SCULPTURE IN THE HOME
THE CHAIR IS A SCULPTURE IN THE HOME
(Fig 1)

THE CHAIR IS A SCULPTURE IN THE HOME

Almora is conceived to be viewed from all sides. It not only provides a seat, but frames the person sitting on it. The deconstructed overlapping volumes of the chair appear to float independently of each other, concealing the method of construction. Anchored at a single point, the conical form of the chair emphasises its relationship to the floor. Ascending from a point to a generous curve, the chair defies gravity.
ALMORA ARMCHAIR IN B&B ITALIA'S FACTORY
(Fig 3)

ALMORA ARMCHAIR IN B&B ITALIA'S FACTORY

Almora presents a perfect combination of industrial production and handcraft, as seen in this photograph by Delfino Sisto Legnani, published in Icon Magazine.
CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF ALMORA
(Fig 4)

CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF ALMORA

The moment when layers of overlapping shapes of paper are stapled together, revealing the conical gesture of Almora.
(Fig 5)

ACCOLADES FOR ALMORA

Wallpaper Magazine gave Almora its Best Executive Office Award and Architectural Digest put the design on the cover of AD Collector.
OBJECT AS SPACE
(Fig 6)

OBJECT AS SPACE

The studio imagined Almora to be a link between our inner and outer worlds; our private and social selves. Doshi Levien perceives the chair as a space that transforms itself according to need; it defines and heightens our relationship to the environment and people around us.